Wild Dragon Soul: Tales About a Journey to Find the Inner Artist by Tatjana Garibaldi

Wild Dragon Soul by Tatjana Garibaldi is described as “A collection of short stories, written in fairy-tale style, about a journey to find the inner artist.” While this may suggest a book literally about the creation of art, it is more abstract than that, but also quietly comforting. One might call these children’s stories for adults, while they could also be enjoyed by children as well.

The opening story, “Daisy,” for example, is about a flower growing underneath a goose’s nest. The flower can hardly be described as an “artist,” but it is about perseverance, getting help from others, and the quiet triumph of personal growth. So while the stories are not necessarily about artistic creation, per se, they are uplifting. In other stories, it’s a bit more inscrutable about how the story pertains to the inner artist, but that is also what makes the book an interesting puzzle.

In fact, each parable could be about well more than the inner artist. In “Dragon Wings,” a group of serpents steal the wings from dragons because they want to fly. This could be interpreted many different ways.

Art is, of course, open to interpretation. So Wild Dragon Soul isn’t just a book of parables about the inner artist, it’s about strengthening your artistic mind through the art of interpretation. Overall, a subtly profound, relaxing and enjoyable read.